Liberals fail to meet “achievable” child poverty target, says NDP’s DiNovo

QUEEN’S PARK – Today, NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo called for real action, not empty announcements, as the Liberal government acknowledged its failure to cut child poverty by 25 percent.

“The Liberals failed to keep their promise to children and low-income families,” said DiNovo. “After all the talk from this Liberal government, it’s appalling that child poverty is actually increasing again in Toronto.”

In 2008, the Liberal government promised to meet an “achievable target” of cutting child poverty by 25 percent over five years. Today, the Liberals admit they failed to keep their promise.
New research even shows that child poverty is on the rise in Toronto, with more than 10,000 kids and their families falling into poverty in just two years. Children are also the largest group relying on food banks, which support more than 130,000 kids across Ontario each month.
“The need to address poverty and support vulnerable families remains urgent,” said DiNovo. “Instead of taking real action to lift families out of poverty, this Liberal government is announcing a new target with no timeline and no accountability.”
“The fact is this Liberal government has a terrible record of ignoring the needs of the most vulnerable Ontarians,” said DiNovo. “When it comes to keeping its commitments to social justice, the Liberals just can’t be trusted to follow through.”
See: REALITY CHECK: LIBERALS FAIL TO CUT CHILD POVERTY BY 25 PERCENT IN FIVE YEARS